This grilled cheese sandwich recipe is a classic, truly the ultimate comfort food!
Skip the fancy add-ins – this grilled cheese recipe shares the secrets to a perfect bite with ooey, gooey cheese and toasty bread. Perfection.
This Is a Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich Because..
- It’s a simple, unfussy classic made just as it should be.
- The bread is toasty, the cheese is melty, and it’s easy to make.
- I share the secret trick that food trucks and fancy bistros use for the perfectly golden brown and crispy bread.
- While this is a classic, I’ve added a few variations if you’d like to change it up.
Ingredients for a Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Bread – Make your grilled cheese with any bread you like! This is a childhood favorite and I love a simple version with white bread or an elevated version with sourdough.
Cheese – My favorite cheese for grilled cheese is cheddar. Sharp cheddar has the most flavor while American cheese is extra creamy – I often include a slice of each.
Butter – Okay, hear me out. Instead of buttering the outside of the bread, I use mayonnaise. It has a higher smoke point than butter and makes the bread nice and crispy. You can use butter if you’d like but I highly recommend giving mayo a try.
How to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Spread the mayonnaise over one side of each piece of bread and place (mayo side down) in a small skillet (recipe below).
- Top with cheese and any extras. Place the second piece of bread on top, mayo side up.
- Grill both sides until golden brown.
Holly’s Tips for Grilled Cheese Perfection
- Cook grilled cheese sandwiches on a ‘low and slow’ heat so the bread will toast and the cheese melts inside.
- Make the exterior extra crispy be replacing butter with mayonnaise.
- If your grilled cheese is ‘loaded’ with lots of goodies or extra cheese, place the bottom slice in the pan and leave it open-faced. Cover with a lid until the ingredients melt together, and then add the top slice of bread. Flip it over and cook until crisp.
Our Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich Variations
Think beyond cheese and bread – add your favorite meats and flavors to make a new favorite.
Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese
Grilled Cheese with Tomato
BLT Grilled Cheese
What is your twist on a Grilled Cheese Sandwich? Leave us a comment below!
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices white bread or sour dough
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salted butter
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese slices or American cheese
Instructions
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Preheat a small skillet over low heat.
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Spread the mayonnaise or butter over one side of each piece of bread. Place 2 slices of bread in the skillet, mayonnaise side down.
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Top the bread with cheddar cheese slices and the remaining slice of bread, mayonnaise side out.
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Cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
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Yummy, Thanks for the tip on using mayo instead of butter.
This is a really good recipe for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Now that I use Mayo as you suggested, I have now started adding a little Garlic Powder and Shredded Parmesan cheese to the mayo before I spreading it on the bread. It makes a very crispy, flavorful sandwich. Thank you so much for your recipe with mayo……. your awesome!
I love this idea Dallas! Thank you for sharing your tips!
Hello! Just a question – when you say 2 tbsp of mayo and it serves two people, it would mean that 1 tbsp/person. So it would be 1.5tsp on each side of bread. I find that a bit hard to measure. Am I correct about these amounts?
Thank you!
Hi Samantha, yes you will use 1/2 tablespoon, or 1.5 teaspoons, of mayo for each slice of bread and only need to spread on one side. You just want a nice even layer of mayo on one side of each slice of bread so the bread gets nice and crisp in the frying pan! I hope this helps.
Never knew to use mayonnaise instead of butter. Wow a game changer!
My family loves our Inside-out Grilled Cheese Sammiches!!. After grilling to perfection the original grilled cheese, melt a little cheese of your choice in the pan to toast the out side of the chilled cheese with MORE GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!!
So delicious, Donna!
Delicious!!!
The best recipe I have ever tried! Thank you!
I’ve also been using mayo on my grilled cheese for years now. Spread thin on low heat so it’s not greasy. Also, I wait until I’m ready to put the top slice of bread on to spread the mayo on it. That way it won’t soak into the bread while sitting on the side.
I want my 30 yrs back of using butter vs mayo. I been doing this wrong the whole time…until today-so delicious and perfectly toasted bread!
The mayonnaise is life changing! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re so welcome!
Will Try!!
Cheese Grilled Sandwich